Originally Posted by LibertyPilot

Because some of us really want to be there! United want's to hire people that show the most interest in them. These opportunities allow us to stand out among thousands of applicants with the same qualifications. Also, at the WAI conference I made a lot of connections and really enjoyed the experience. You also get to see some differences between the companies to see who might be the best fit for you.

For example I thought Delta would be great but I discovered that they have little respect for 135/91 pilots and at United they were very receptive to my background and told me I would be an asset in their well rounded pilot group. American told me the same so now I rank those two companies above Delta in my personal career goals.